When the 2012 Australian Open begins on the blue hard courts at Melbourne Park, there are several talented unseeded players who could be tough opening round opponents, might post big wins or could advance into the later rounds of the tournament… they include:

WOMEN:
o    Christina McHale – hard-working young American with a solid baseline game
o    Laura Robson – talented young lefty from England who won Junior Wimbledon
o    Aravane Rezai – hard-hitting Frenchwoman working her way back up the rankings
o    Tamira Paszek – young player who has had big wins in the past
o    Jie Zheng – former Wimbledon semifinalist who won a tune-up tourney
o    Gisela Dulko – solid singles player, top doubles player and beat Maria Sharapova in the past
o    Jarmila  Gajdosova – Australian with a strong serve
o    Jelena Dokic – she reached the quarters a few years ago
o    Kimiko Date Krumm – at the age of 41 she is still capable of challenging the top players or pulling an upset in what may be her final Australian Open
o    Vera Dushevina – Russian veteran who has a steady, solid game to challenge players


MEN:
o    Nicolas Mahut – serve and volleying Frenchman who played in the longest match in Wimbledon history
o    Robin Haase – tall, hard-hitting Dutchman with a lot of potential
o    Dmitry Tursunov – talented Russian capable of anything on a given day
o    Ryan Harrison – he’s a confident young American with a lot of game, who likes the limelight
o    Gilles Muller – tall, hard-serving lefty who has had some big wins in the past
o    Philipp Kohlschreiber – German with a strong one-handed backhand who has beaten top players on big stages
o    Bernard Tomic – talented Australian on the rise
o    Ivo Karlovic – 6 foot 10 inches with a big serve who can pose problems for anyone
o    Marcos Baghdatis – former Australian Open finalist
o    Juan Carlos Ferrero – former French Open champion still capable of one last hurrah in a major if he’s healthy
o    Xavier Malisse - flashy Belgian who rebounded up the rankings in 2011

o    David Nalbandian - former Wimbledon finalist with tons of talent and too many injuries…

o    Sam Querrey – tall hard-serving American on the comeback from injury
o    Donald Young – talented young American lefty looking to continue his strong form from 2011